Blue Skies Burning
by LonelyVeteran
Summary: A discovery leads to war, and war leads to unexpected effects. One such effect reaches a lost and desperate apple farmer and a guilt ridden ace pilot. These effects, in turn, lead to new discoveries.
1. Chapter 1

_6 Months Ago_

The inky black night swallowed the farm whole in its unforgiving darkness. Two ponies ran through the night, their eyes searching through the previously mentioned darkness. High above them, machines of steel and metal streaked through the sky, whistling as they dropped bombs and caused explosions and mayhem on the grounds below. The two skidded to a halt as the path they were on suddenly ended. The first, an orange earth pony in a brown stetson cursed aloud. "Are yah sure yah saw it come down over here?" she asked to the other pony, a very large red stallion. "Eeyup." The orange earth pony growled in frustration, her emerald eyes suddenly detecting a trail of smoke coming from a clearing ahead. "There!" she yelled before taking off again, the stallion close behind.

Soon, the two came across the source of the smoke. "Sweet Celestia." A plane lay in the field, smoke trailing from what was left of its engines. The hull was bullet ridden, and the plane was missing its left wing. Near the tail, a gold lightning bolt with white wings was painted on the side. The earth pony focused her attention on the cockpit, seeing two figures inside. Somehow, she had a gut feeling she would know the pony inside. "Come on!" She shouted, and again the stallion raced after her into the field. Seeing the ponies inside, the red stallion skidded to a halt before turning so his rear legs were facing the cockpit, before kicking hard with his two rear legs. The cockpit flew off, skidding to a halt a few feet away. Inside, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane opened her eyes before coughing up smoke. Tearing off her gas mask, she tried to get out of the cockpit, but was clearly dazed. "RD…" the orange pony muttered in disbelief. "Ugh… Fleetfoot? Fleetfoot!" called the pegasus. As the injured pegasus climbed out of the cockpit, she nearly fell to the ground but was caught by the orange pony. "Woah there, Dash! Yer hardly in any condition to walk!" The pegasus ignored her, tearing off her helmet. "Fleetfoot!" she called weakly before losing conscious again. The earth pony turned back to the cockpit, seeing a sky blue pony still inside. She bit her lip, seeing that the other pony was unmoving.

As the stallion gently lifted the other pony from the tattered cockpit, the orange pony lay the cyan pegasus on the ground, frowning at her injuries. Above them, the night slowly turned into dawn, the air being filled with the distant buzzing of the mechanical beasts called airplanes. The orange pony looked up, watching as a plane far above exploded into pieces of flaming metal. "AJ?" asked the stallion, walking up next to her. The pony shook her head, taking off her hat. "Mac… the damn sky's on fire…." The stallion sighed, noting how flames from downed planes mixed with the sunrise, creating a shade of orange darker and deeper than he had ever seen. "Come on, let's get these ponies out of here."

 _Now_

A banging on the front door dragged the orange earth pony from her sleep. With a groan, she rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her chair. As her vision cleared, she saw that she had fallen asleep at her kitchen table again, bills and warnings surrounding her. The banging on the door was relentless, forcing the pony out of her chair, grabbing her brown hat from the table on the way. She threw the door open, half expecting a debt collector. Instead, she found a white mare with a purple mane. "Rarity." The mare nodded. "Applejack. Hope I'm not intruding." Applejack just glared, having just woken up. Rarity rolled her eyes in response. "Darling, did you get any sleep at all? Your mane is simply a mess." It was Applejack's turn to roll her eyes. "Look into mah eyes and ask me that again."

Rarity was about to respond, but was interrupted by a thumping on the staircase behind Applejack. Applejack's sister, Applebloom, came bounding down the stairs. "Hiya Rarity!" she chirped. Rarity smiled at the young filly. "Hello, Applebloom. Are you ready?" The filly nodded. "See ya later, AJ!" As the filly bounded off, Applejack frowned. "Thought it was Fluttershy's turn today." Rarity gave Applejack a concerned look. "Darling, are you sure you're alright? I take care of the fillies every Thursday." Applejack shook her head. "I… don't know, Rarity. I don't know."

After Rarity left with Applebloom, Applejack entered the kitchen of the farmhouse. With Applebloom off in the care of Rarity for the day, the farmhouse was empty except for Applejack. Granny Smith was in the hospital now, the medical bills just being more fuel to the proverbial fire. And Big McIntosh… Applejack sighed as she eyed the brown horse collar hanging on the wall. It had now been 6 months since she heard from her brother.

 _6 months ago_

"Yah can't be serious." Applejack stared at her brother, trying to figure out if this was some elaborate joke. "Tell me yer joking." The stallion sighed. "Eenope." Applejack was overcome by a series of emotions. "Mac!" she growled in anger. "Yer leaving?! Now?!" Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup." The orange pony scowled, moving next to him. "This is ridiculous! How could yah do this? Ah need you here, you've seen the bills! We need ta double our output, and ah sure can't do that alone! Why, ah thought you were smarter than-" Abruptly, Applejack was cut off when Big McIntosh slammed his hoof into the table, in a very rare display of anger and frustration. His usual calm and controlled demeanor was gone now as he shouted. "Damn it AJ! 'Ah know that we're in debt! That plane crash took down half our orchard! 'Ah also know that there 'ain't no way on Celestia's earth that we are going ta get food, keep the farm, repair our orchard, _and_ pay off Granny's bills! Now, 'Ah can get at least 50,000 bits by joining the army, an' that's what I plan to do unless you've got a better idea." There was a strange silence that filled the farmhouse now.

Applejack knew in her heart that Mac was right. There was a crippling debt bestowed upon them, made worse by Granny Smith's medical bills and the fire caused by the recent crash. All of the anger left her and was replaced by sadness. "When are ya going to be back?" she asked in a soft voice. Big Mac, recomposing himself, sighed. "Hard ta' say. Half a year, maybe more." Applejack frowned, a tear rolling down her face. "Just… just make it home." Big Mac gave a small smile. "Eeyup."

 _Now_

The war was driving everypony crazy, Applejack decided. It was draining her friends and family away from her. Big McIntosh was still out fighting, Twilight Sparkle had been called upon to negotiate treaties and secure allies. And Rainbow Dash… Applejack sighed.

The entire war fiasco started about a decade ago. It started with two pony brothers, the Wrights. The two brothers discovered how earth ponies could harness the power of flight. As time went on, Equestria developed airplanes, which could fly faster and maneuver better than any pegasus could. It was over this new technology that the war started. Changelings had somehow stolen an airplane, flying it back to the Crystal Empire. Soon, Queen Chrysalis began developing an equally intimidating air force, to the alarm of Princess Celestia. The two kingdoms were unable to come to a peaceful resolution, and war ensued. The war never came close to Applejack's hometown, until 6 months ago. The main target, the residents later learned, was Manehattan, but some of the pilots found Ponyville to be an easier target.

Applejack sighed as she remembered hearing about the Manehattan bombing. Manehattan was one of the biggest markets for Sweet Apple Acres, but now the residents were more concerned with rebuilding and constructing bomb shelters then they were making apple pies. Applejack returned to the table she had fallen asleep at, grimacing at the sight of the bills and warnings. She would have to visit Granny Smith later. Applejack desperately wanted to lie to her; tell her that Big McIntosh was home, that their bills were paid off, that they could afford to buy Applebloom anything she wanted. But she simply couldn't.

 _Later…_

The hospital waiting room was filled with ponies, each there for a variety of reasons. A cyan pegasus sat nervously in the plastic chair, waiting for news. She ran a hoof through her rainbow colored hair, shivering at the hospital's strong air conditioning. Normally, she would be dressed in her brown flight jacket, with the Wonderbolts logo proudly stitched onto the sleeve, but Rainbow Dash simply couldn't bring herself to wear it… not after what happened 6 months ago.

 _6 months ago_

Explosions rocked the hangar as ponies ran about, shouting to each other. Searchlights lit up the sky, illuminating the night sky. "Dash! Thank Celestia!" Rainbow turned to see her captain, Spitfire, running towards her. "What the hay is going on?" Both Spitfire and Rainbow instinctively ducked as a nearby explosion shook dust off the ceiling. "What do you think?! We're under attack! I'm scrambling every fighter we've got! Get up there!" Rainbow nodded, running to her plane as she pulled her helmet on. Her copilot, Fleetfoot, was already waiting. As Rainbow pulled herself into the cockpit, she heard the voice of her squad leader, Soarin. "Everyone set?" Rainbow grabbed the transmitter. "Blue-2, standing by." She listened as the other Wonderbolts responded. "Alright, Wonderbolts. Let's show them what we've got!"

Rainbow always loved flying, that was no question. When word got out of the invention of the airplane, Rainbow decided to take a look. To say she was amazed would be an understatement. She had managed to acquire an airplane, and found she was able to fly farther, longer, and higher than ever before. It was her new found passion for stunt flying that got her into the Wonderbolts when the war broke out.

 _Now_

"Miss Dash?" Rainbow was pulled from her thoughts by a voice. "Oh, sorry. Is she…?" Nurse Redheart shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid Miss Fleetfoot has not awoken yet." Rainbow's head lowered, sadly. "Oh. Thanks anyways, Nurse Redheart." With a sigh, Rainbow turned to leave the hospital, Nurse Redheart following the dejected pony with her eyes, pitying her for her predicament. As Rainbow entered the elevator, her thoughts wandered back 6 months.

 _6 months ago_

"Watch your 6, Blue-2!" At the warning, the plane banked sharply, a machine gun volley narrowly missing it. "Cutting it close," remarked Fleetfoot. "You know me!" Rainbow replied. Rainbow pulled the plane upwards, evading the enemy plane. As the other plane resumed firing, Rainbow pulled the plane behind the enemy, returning fire and causing the engine to burst into flames. As the other plane exploded in a fireball, Rainbow cheered. "Got 'em!" Fleetfoot was about to say something, but decided against it. Spitfire's voice came over the radio. "Listen up, Wonderbolts! We've got intel that some of those planes are bombers, take them out before they do damage."

Rainbow growled. There was no way she was going to let them drop bombs on her home town. "I've got eyes on a bomber, let's take it down!" The squadron quickly assumed an attack formation, swooping down at a larger plane. A few fighters flew over, attempting to defend their bomber. "2 buzzards, Blue-4 and Blue-6, break off and engage!" Two of the planes obeyed, breaking formation and engaging with the enemy fighters.

The bomber began to return fire, forcing the Wonderbolts to do evasive maneuvers. Despite the efforts of the gunners, the bomber's hull was soon riddled with bullets. Suddenly, machine gun fire from behind the Wonderbolts tore into one of the plane's wings and hull. "Woah! Blue-3, you're smoking!" The plane, piloted by two ponies named High Winds and Lightning Strike, began swerving as High Winds tried to regain control. "No good, I've got to land this thing," he muttered bitterly into the radio. As the damaged plane began losing altitude, another squadron of planes swooped down from the clouds. "Woah! The hay did they come from?!"

Soarin growled before shouting instructions into the radio. "Everyone fall back, we need to regroup. Blue-4, make sure Blue-3 makes it back to base." Rainbow couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We're running?!" Rainbow pulled the plane up, evading another fighter. "Blue-2, get back! Those buzzards are right on top of us!" Rainbow ignored the command, setting her eyes on the bomber. "Rainbow, we've got to fall back!" Fleetfoot shouted. Rainbow smiled grimly, as she flew directly towards the bomber. "Gotcha. You're not bombing my town, not today." Soarin's eyes widened when he saw Rainbow's plane flying head-on towards the bomber. "Blue-2! What the hay are you-"

"Rainbow!" Fleetfoot screamed. Rainbow didn't respond, but began firing the plane's machine guns. The bullets tore into the cockpit, and the bomber began to dip. Rainbow smiled, satisfied, and began to pull away when the bomber abruptly exploded. The explosion dwarfed the plane in smoke. Rainbow swore and tried to pull up, but the engine began stalling. "Come on, come on!" Alarms were ringing inside the cockpit as the plane began to lose altitude. "Rainbow!" Fleetfoot shouted again. "Shut up! I've got this!" Rainbow responded as she tried to pull up. The engine, badly damaged by a piece of shrapnel, finally gave out, and the plane pitched towards the ground.

Rainbow desperately tried to restart the engine, although she knew in her heart there was no way the engine was going to restart. Fleetfoot reached for the radio. "Mayday! Mayday! This is Blue-2, we've lost our engine, going down!" Rainbow tuned out Soarin's response. Rainbow was too focused on pulling the plane up to realize the engine had caught fire. Abruptly, the engine exploded, causing the plane to fall faster. "Blue-2?! Come in!" Neither Fleetfoot nor Rainbow gave a response.

"Come on…. Come on… I can do this, I can do this," the pegasus mumbled to herself. The ground was coming closer, closer. "I can do this… I can do-" At the last moment, Rainbow was able to prevent the plane from nose diving. Instead, the plane plowed into a field, the left wing hitting a tree and coming off. The plane continued to skid for a few feet, abruptly stopping. The momentum caused Rainbow to lurch forward, slamming her head onto the dashboard and shattering her helmet's visor.

With a groan, Rainbow tried to sit up in her seat. Her hoofs shaking, she tried to undo the harness that kept her in the seat, but was unable to. Suddenly, the cockpit covering flew off, as if a powerful stallion had simply kicked it off. A familiar orange pony in a Stetson cowboy hat climbed on. "RD…" she muttered in disbelief. Rainbow ignored her, tearing off her gas mask. "Fleetfoot!" she called, trying to rouse her copilot as the orange pony undid the harness. Rainbow stumbled out of the wrecked plane, still dizzy from the crash. "Fleetfoot!" she called, weaker this time. Through her dazed vision, she saw her copilot slumped over, unmoving. Rainbow tore off her helmet, trying to climb back into the cockpit. The orange pony was saying something, but Rainbow didn't hear her voice. Her body, still shocked and injured from the crash, gave out again, and Rainbow lost consciousness. The last thing she heard before blacking out was the pony's voice. "The damn sky's on fire…"

 _Now_

Rainbow sighed as she recalled the crash that landed Fleetfoot in the hospital. The 6 months after the crash had been quite hard on her, even though her injuries were mostly minor. Of course, Rainbow thought bitterly she was the lucky one. The elevator dinged and she stepped inside. "Why not me?" she wondered aloud. "Hmm?" Rainbow snapped out of her thoughts to realize she wasn't alone in the car. "Applejack?" The orange earth pony smiled. "Oh, hey Rainbow."

The two ponies walked out of the hospital together. "So, what brings you ta the hospital?" Applejack asked. Rainbow sighed. "I was… visiting a friend. What about you?" Applejack looked away. "Granny Smith." Rainbow nodded in recognition. "Ah. How's she doing?" Applejack frowned. "She's doing fine… it's just, ah don't know how we're going ta pay off those medical bills." The two walked in silence after that remark. It was no secret that Sweet Apple Acres had seen better days. "Hey, I never really apologized." Applejack glanced at her friend. "Apologized fer what?" Rainbow sighed again. "Well, if I hadn't crashed in your orchard, you probably wouldn't be in debt." Applejack smiled. "Rainbow, don't go beatin' yerself up for that. Yer engine gave out, that wasn't yer fault." Rainbow took a shaky breath, closing her eyes. "No… it was…" Applejack stopped, giving her friend a concerned look. "Do ya want to talk about it?" Rainbow sighed, fighting back tears. "Yeah… I do."

A/N: Well then. I'm really not sure what to say about this. This type of story is... different from what I usually write. I'm not really sure why I chose to come here... guess I needed a change of scenery. Anyways. How I got into this fandom is a bit ... complicated. Quick disclaimer: I haven't watched any of the episodes, I'm not too familiar with the fandom or the show itself. Again, how I got here is complicated. Anyways, hope you liked it...


	2. Chapter 2

Sugarcube Corner was mostly empty, a few other ponies grabbing some snacks before returning to their work. The two ponies sat at a booth, while a pink pony was bouncing up and down at the tableside.

"Wow! I can't even remember the last time I've seen you guys! It's been, like, months since we talked! We should call the other girls, make this a party!" Pinkie Pie began talking faster and faster, bouncing up and down. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Pinkie, now really isn't the best time." Rainbow sat in the booth, staring at the table in front of her. The pink maned pony ignored her, babbling on and on. Applejack, seeing her friend's discomfort, cut off the hyperactive pony.

"Pinkie, why don't you go an' fix us some drinks?" Pinkie nodded, still bouncing up and down.

"Sure! What do you want? We have apple smoothies, orange smoothies, yellow smoothies, apple-orange, smoothies…"

"Why don't you pick one for us?" Pinkie's face lit up, and she bounced away in a flash. Applejack chuckled.

"Now, what was it you wanted ta talk about?" Rainbow sighed, still refusing to look her friend in the eye.

"Well, I never really told you about what happened." Rainbow sighed, shifting in her seat. "I mean, you know that I crashed, but… there was a bit more to it…"

 _6 Months Ago_

White. That was all that filled her vision. Rainbow was floating, seemingly in a peacefully endless void. Rainbow drifted lazily, closing her eyes with a smile. It was nice here. But… where was she? Rainbow opened her eyes slowly. What had happened? Rainbow's lazy smile turned into a frown. "Where am I?" She wondered.

As she drifted around aimlessly, she tried to remember what happened. "I was… at the Iron Nail, getting some drinks with… Soarin, I think. No… no, I was with Surprise. Yeah." Rainbow flapped her wings, as her thoughts returned to her. "Then… then we heard explosions, and we saw planes. So we flew to the airfield." The white space in front of her materialized into a street. Silent explosions sounded through the night. A rainbow streak filled the sky. She recognized the streak as herself, flying to the airfield. "Then what?"

The scene shifted. Rainbow was at the airfield, running towards Spitfire. "Right! I ran into Spitfire. She said we were under attack!" Rainbow watched herself run towards her plane. Soon, the scene shifted again, showing the Wonderbolts flying in attack formation. "We shot down some planes… then Spitfire said there was a bomber." As if on cue, the bomber descended from the clouds. "Soarin said to turn back… but I didn't. I fought it, shot it down. Then it exploded." The bomber exploded into a fiery inferno, engulfing her tiny plane. Suddenly, Rainbow wasn't watching the scene from afar, she was inside the cockpit. "The engine cut out… we were going down…" Rainbow was frozen, unable to react as the plane rapidly lost altitude.

"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" Fleetfoot's voice called from somewhere behind her. The ground got closer, but still Rainbow couldn't do anything. Suddenly, the blaring of alarms inside the cockpit cut out, and Rainbow woke up with a start.

An ambient beeping sounded from a machine on her left. The white blankets and bare walls told her she was in a hospital. A doctor was at her side nearly instantly. "Mrs. Dash, you're awake." Rainbow tried to speak, but her body refused. She groggily tried to sit up, but the doctor gently pushed her back into the bed. "Woah there. You need some rest. That crash banged you up pretty badly. Rest." With that statement, Rainbow slipped into unconsciousness again.

When Rainbow woke up again, she wasn't alone. As her eyes refocused, she detected a bright orange pony sitting in a chair facing the bed. "Dash. You're awake." Rainbow sighed.

"Captain." Spitfire removed her sunglasses, her face blank. She stood from the chair, strolling over to the bedside.

"Rainbow." Rainbow threw off the covers, getting off the bed. Spitfire remained silent for a moment. "We need to talk."

Rainbow snorted. "What's there to talk about? I shot down that bomber, saved the town." Spitfire, displeased by Rainbow's cocky attitude, frowned. "I'm sorry that I crashed a plane, but isn't that just the cost of war?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Rainbow paused, a hoof out the door already.

"Where else? Back to the sky. The war's not over yet." Spitfire growled suddenly.

"You're not flying anywhere, second lieutenant." Rainbow froze. It was never good when Spitfire addressed subordinates by rank. "Sit down." Rainbow obeyed, slightly nervous now. "You really don't know, do you?" Spitfire sighed. "You're grounded, Rainbow. You can't fly until this is over."

Rainbow shot up. "Grounded?! What? Why? Until what's over?!" Spitfire glared at Rainbow, and she sunk into her seat again.

"You disobeyed a direct command from First Lieutenant Soarin. You engaged an enemy fighter and nearly died for it. You endangered the life of your copilot, and put her in a coma." The last words hit Rainbow like a bucket of cold water.

"Coma?" Spitfire nodded.

"She slammed her head into the console. Doctors aren't very optimistic. Military Police have started an investigation, but from what I hear, it isn't good. You broke protocol, Rainbow. Soarin tells me you didn't even call in a mayday, that Fleetfoot did it instead." Rainbow held her head in her hoofs. Spitfire sighed, laying a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. Her voice softened a little. "Rainbow… I'm not going to lie. You're by far the best damn pilot the Wonderbolts have ever seen. I know somepony in the investigations division. I already put in a good word for you but-" Rainbow wiped tears from her eyes and cut Spitfire off.

"No. Don't tell him anything." Spitfire raised an eyebrow. Rainbow drew a shaky breath and continued. "If he thinks I'm guilty… then he's probably right."

 _Now_

"That was 6 months ago. I'm still grounded, and from what I hear, the MP's are having a tough time investigating, due to my reputation and whatnot. Fleetfoot's still in a coma, and the other Bolts won't talk to me." Rainbow sighed as she finished her recollection of the fateful events. Applejack reached out and touched her hoof with her own.

"Sugar, it still wasn't yer fault." Rainbow looked up.

"How is it not? I should have fallen back when Soarin told me to. Fleetfoot was my friend, she put her life in my hands, and I put her in a coma in return." Rainbow felt a tear drip from her eye. With a sigh, Applejack slid out of the booth, trotting over so that she was next to her friend.

"Rainbow, listen. Ah know you're feeling guilty about this, but you can't keep blaming yourself. You made a mistake, but you can't get caught on it." Rainbow sighed miserably. "Come on, Dash. It's been 6 months. Moping around won't do anyone any good." Applejack sighed as she saw the clock above the counter. "Ah've got to get back to the farm." Rainbow nodded, but said nothing. Applejack gave her old friend a wary look before leaving.

As Applejack neared the farm's fence, she internally groaned at the sight of two pale olive coated ponies waiting by the gate. "Well howdy there!" said the first, flashing a smile. Applejack grunted in response.

"Sorry, is this a bad time?" Asked the other.

"It must be, Flim! After all, Miss Applejack here is in debt, after all!"

"Debt, Flam? Why, that isn't good!"

"Not at all, Flim! If only she knew somepony kind enough to lend her some money."

"Exactly! If only there was somepony out there who would lend her just enough money to tie her over! It must be hard, after all, running the farm alllllllll by yourself!"

Applejack slammed the gate shut. "Flim, Flam. Get off my property, thank you kindly." Applejack said in a monotone voice. It wasn't her first time dealing with the two brothers, and her response was rehearsed and automatic. Applejack paused as Flim began shaking a pouch of bits.

"Come on, Applejack. You need this." Flim shook the bag again. "You don't want to disappoint your brother, after all. Applejack froze. Flim had struck a chord within her, and he knew it. With a sinister grin, he waved the bag in front of her again. "What was his name?"

Applejack growled. She turned slowly. She raised a hoof, as if to the take the bag from Flim. Then she hit him, straight across the muzzle.


	3. Chapter 3

A frown was plastered on Rainbow's face as she stood in front of the small hangar. The hangar was a decent size, close to both Ponyville and Cloudsdale. There were several sheds housing equipment and planes, and a large control tower stood in the center. The dark blue coated pony who usually occupied the tower was currently at Rainbow's side. A pegasus with a pair of white wings surrounded by a white circle as a cutie mark, Sky Sailor was the sole Air Traffic Controller of the Explorers Airfield. Sky flicked his tail and watched over Rainbow with a concerned glance.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, glancing at Rainbow. Rainbow nodded, determination filling her.

"I'm grounded from military duty, I can still fly my own plane if I want to. Not like they revoked my license." Sky raised an eyebrow.

"You have a license?" he asked dryly. Rainbow gave him a playful punch on the shoulder before pulling open the hangar doors. In front of the two pegasi stood a small, white and blue plane, with the word 'Sailboat' in text over the hull. Rainbow smiled contently at seeing her plane. She had acquired it ages ago after a bet with a wealthy pegasus, and had already put it through nearly every stunt conceivable. Usually, a quick flight with her wings was enough for Rainbow to escape her problems and thoughts, but this time was different.

"Well, let me know when you're ready," Sky said before leaving the hangar, heading for the tower. Rainbow focused her attention on the plane. Despite owning it, Rainbow knew nearly nothing about the mechanics and engineering behind planes. She let Sky Sailor handle the maintenance and engineering, and he did a fine job. Rainbow pushed over a metal staircase to the cockpit, climbing in. She took a shaky breath as she strapped herself in.

She had made countless flights, but this was the first one since the accident 6 months ago. But she was over that now. It was only her in the cockpit this time, she told herself. Nopony else had their lives on her shoulders. Then why was she shaking?

Rainbow tried to push the lingering doubt out of her mind as she started the engine. She maneuvered the plane to the runway, pulling her headset over her ears. She spoke into the transmitter. "This is Sailboat, ready to copy."

The radio squawked, and Sky Sailor's voice cut through. "Roger that, Sailboat. You are cleared to Canterlot, fly runway heading. Climb and maintain 6 thousand feet, departure on 104.3, squawk 8.43."

"Cleared to Canterlot, fly runway heading up to 6 thousand feet. Departure on 104.3, squawk 8.43, Sailboat," Rainbow read back.

"Do you want the ATIS?"

"Negative, I checked with the weather team before this."

"Roger that. Wind speed is 15.4 mph. You've got the runway."

Rainbow closed her eyes and took another breath. This was all standard procedure, albeit more casual than in the Wonderbolts, she told herself. She had done it a thousand times.

"Sailboat, you are cleared for takeoff." Rainbow acknowledged, and the plane lurched forward. It was simple, routine, easy. Still, Rainbow felt her hooves trembling. She blocked out her thoughts, focusing on the runway in front of her. The plane was picking up speed, and soon Rainbow would have to pull the plane up, leaving the ground. She would be in the air, where she belonged. Simple. Just before Rainbow pulled up, a memory flashed in her mind.

"Mayday! Mayday!" Fleetfoot's voice suddenly called from somewhere behind her.

"Blue-2! What are you doing?!" Soarin's voice called from her left.

"Mayday! Mayday!" Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut as Fleetfoot's haunting voice called again. She instinctively cut the engine, and the plane's propeller slowed to a stop. The plane crawled to a halt, stopping on the runway.

"Sailboat, everything alright?" came Sky Sailor's worried voice. Rainbow didn't respond, slamming her hoof into the plane's dashboard. After a few shaky breaths, Rainbow wiped the tears from her eyes and picked up the transmitter.

"This is Sailboat. I'm scrubbing." There was a beat of silence.

"Roger that, Sailboat."

As Rainbow maneuvered the plane back into the hangar, Sky Sailor entered the hangar doors. Rainbow could practically feel his concerned gaze through the cockpit. With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow wondered what compelled her to tell him all of her problems.

[i]6 Months Ago[/i]

Sky Sailor hummed to himself as he squared the papers straight against his desk. Reaching over to the stapler, Sky noticed a flash of movement from one of the hangars. "Probably just a joyrider…" he muttered to himself, noting the time. His frown deepened when he recognized the hangar number. "Dash would never joyride this late… She's going to kill me if anything happens."

Sky carefully approached the figure trying to pry open the hangar door, a flashlight in his mouth. "Hold it!" he shouted. The figure turned, and the flashlight in Sky's mouth illuminated her rainbow mane. "Dash?"

"Who else *hic* would it be?" Rainbow slurred, stumbling over to sling her foreleg around Sky and flashing a wide grin. Sky could smell a particularly strong brand of alcohol on her breath. Sky rolled his eyes and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Rainbow woke up around noon in the control tower. Sky had wrapped her in a blanket, closed the window, and given her a bucket in anticipation of her hangover. "Should have let me fly the damn plane," she muttered as she clutched the bucket to her chest. Sky rolled his eyes.

"Like I'd ever allow drunk flying." He pulled up a chair to the couch where Rainbow lay. "So tell me. What brought you to get so wasted?" Rainbow glared at him.

"Don't want to talk about it." Sky rolled his eyes.

"Looks like you do." Rainbow gave a defeated sigh. Sky knew her too well.

Reluctantly, and against her better judgment, Rainbow recounted the fateful flight that bound her to the ground and Fleetfoot to a hospital bed. As she finished, Sky set down the mug he was carrying. "Wow. That's… tough." Rainbow glared at him again.

"You think?" Sky shook his head.

"Look, Rainbow… I get that you're feeling bad about this, but isn't it a bit early to start throwing your career away? The Military Police might find you innocent." Rainbow groaned and sat up.

"Who cares? I'm never going to live this down. I can't even look any of the other 'bolts in the eye." Rainbow threw off the blanket, standing up to leave.

Sky followed her out the door. "Hey, if you ever need anyone to talk to…" Rainbow scoffed.

"Thanks, Sky, but that's what my friends are for." With that, Rainbow spread her wings, flying away.

[i]Now[/i]

Sky remained silent as Rainbow climbed out of the cockpit. Rainbow did her best to ignore him as she descended the metal staircase. Eventually, he broke the silence.

"No luck?" Rainbow sighed and shook her head. She sat in a folding chair, laying her helmet in her lap. As her pulse slowed and her head cleared, Rainbow was filled with a sudden anger. She stood and hurled her helmet across the room. It hit the wall and rolled to a stop on the floor. Sky stayed silent.

"I can't… I can't do it," Rainbow growled as she buried her head in her hoofs. Sky sighed and laid a hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't talk to me about it. You have friends for that." Rainbow cringed. She was hoping he had forgotten about that comment. "Go talk to them, Dash. You're not going to do any good here." With another shaky breath, Rainbow nodded and stood. She left the airfield, not daring to look him in the eye.

As she left, Sky sighed and picked up the helmet from the ground, noting the new scratch across the back.

The cell was a dreary metal gray, with a small window on the far side of the wall. Applejack sighed as she lay on the bench, her hat resting on her chest. She didn't bother looking at the approaching hoof-steps. "I really expected more from you." Applejack rolled her eyes, turning so she lay facing the wall instead of the cell door. "Applejack. Look at me."

With a grunt, Applejack turned to see Rarity staring at her. The unicorn was obviously displeased, a fiery look of anger in her eyes. Applejack chose not to meet her gaze and stared at the recruitment posters plastered on the wall behind her.

The first poster was simple, picturing ponies in uniform smiling at the camera, dressed in clean, crisp uniforms. "Enlist now!" The posters were colorful and simple and had attracted dozens of colts and fillies to join the army as soon as they could, without worry or care for the possible consequences.

Applejack was torn from her thoughts when the jail door opened. A Marshall had arrived at some point and pulled the door open. "I paid your bail," Rarity said before turning and leaving, followed by the Marshall and then Applejack.

The sunlight caused Applejack to squint as she left the jail. Trotting faster, Applejack caught up to Rarity. "Honestly, what on earth were you thinking?" the unicorn snapped, glaring in her direction. Applejack scoffed as she caught up.

"Ah gave them plenty of warnin'."

"That's still no excuse. You know they're bent on taking the farm and redeveloping it into Celestia knows what." Applejack rolled her eyes. Her hoof was still sore from making contact with Flim's jaw.

"Rarity, don' worry about me. 'Ah know they're game. If ah even touch a bit, they'll drop enough interest on me to drive me to three lives worth of debt."

Rarity huffed. "And you simply gave them more ammunition. Why I heard they're plotting a lawsuit against you know!" Applejack frowned. She hadn't thought of that. "Besides, what if I hadn't paid your bail? What would I tell Apple Bloom? Or Big Mac?"

Applejack gritted her teeth at the name. Rarity noticed this and remembered that her brother was still a sore subject, even after 6 months. "Applejack… I know you still miss him, but what would he say if he were here?"

"Doesn' matter, cuz he ain't here," Applejack spat before turning to the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity's concerned gaze following her.

The wail of the train filled the station, ponies walking about in every direction. A yellow earth pony stood at the ticket window, a saddle bag across his back and a brown cowpony hat on his head. The pony on the other side of the window pulled a ticket out, placing it on the counter. "Ticket to Ponyville. Federal agent... so no charge," he said as he slid it through the window. "Going on pleasure or business?"

"Business, I reckon," replied the yellow pony. "Sure as hay ain't pleasure."

The ticket master chuckled. "Just need your ID, and you'll be all set." The yellow pony nodded and pulled a gold badge from his bag. The other pony checked the badge number, scrawled it down, and nodded. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it," the pony responded before leaving the window. Sitting on a bench, the yellow pony reached into his bag and pulled out a folder with the word 'Confidential' stamped on the front in bold red text. Opening it, the pony frowned as he stared at the image of a sky blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane.

 **A/N: Shoutout to anyone who recognizes the musician I'm referencing with "Sky Sailor," "Explorer's Airfield," and "Sailboat."**


End file.
